VenusPlusX

Home of COLUMBIA

December 2011

  • News of Note: Japan leads the way in sexless love Why the generational malaise and indifference to sex? Theories abound. The most provocative to me, a Japanese-American and longtime Tokyo resident, is that Japanese women have become stronger socially and economically at the very same time that Japanese men have become more fully absorbed in…

    Read More

  • Editor’s note: This post was written by one of our interns, Jamor Gaffney. It was the summer before I began 5th grade when I got my first relaxer. I was curious, nervous, and unsure of whether I was making the right decision. Not because of what I now understand to be a deeply rooted, oppressive…

    Read More

  • [pexyoutube pex_attr_src=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFpwHe6KjDA” pex_attr_width=”500″][/pexyoutube] News of Note: HIV vaccine developed in Canada approved for human studies A Canadian-developed vaccine to prevent HIV has been given the green light for testing in human clinical trials. The vaccine, developed by researchers at the University of Western Ontario, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to…

    Read More

  • [pexyoutube pex_attr_src=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMNvzYPMp_Q” pex_attr_width=”500″][/pexyoutube] Here’s another video from the I AM: Trans People Speak project of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. Please be sure to check out their website for more information and videos of transgender individuals telling their own stories in their own words. Mycroft identifies as an interfaith leader, a writer and artist, a life…

    Read More

  • News of Note: Congress to Resume SOPA Hearings Next Week (This Wednesday) The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will continue its hearing on the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) on Wednesday, not until after Congress’ holiday break, as originally believed. Late Friday, Representative Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican and committee chairman, scheduled a…

    Read More

  • News of Note: Google chairman says online piracy bill would ‘criminalize’ the Internet An online piracy bill in the House [US House of Representatives H.R.3261] would “criminalize linking and the fundamental structure of the Internet itself,” according to Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt. Schmidt said the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would punish Web firms, including…

    Read More

  • December 10, Saturday, was Human Rights Day 2011, and I reported on its origns, history, and background, noted the important role Eleanor Roosevelt played in drafting The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and delved into the direct connections between human rights and sexual freedom contained in the Declaration. Last week, on December 6, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton…

    Read More

  • News of Note: Assange: Using iPhone, Gmail, BlackBerry? You’re Screwed! Here is an issue that is certain to affect everyone. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says that governments worldwide have been using electronic devices, such as smart-phones and computers, to monitor what people are saying, where they are going and what they are writing. The controversial…

    Read More

  • You may have heard of the new .xxx domain names being created for porn sites. They finally went live this Tuesday and the controversy hasn’t stopped. “By applying for a .xxx site, webmasters, adult performers, studios, and others become part of a “sponsored community,” agreeing to operate legally and within agreed-upon business standards. Each .xxx…

    Read More

  • [pexyoutube pex_attr_src=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SgrdYPGaOE” pex_attr_width=”500″][/pexyoutube] Today is Human Rights Day 2011. To mark the occasion, this video is from Navanethem Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted by a committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, and was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. This Declaration…

    Read More